Collapsible rest for the extremities and bodies of humans



Feb. 26, 1952 K. MORECROFT 2,587,196

COLLAPSIBLE REST FOR THE EXTREMITIES AND BODIES OF HUMANS 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed Aug. 10, 1949 INVENTOR. Lola KMoz'eczof BYE Z k [M52 Jrroemzfl Feb. 26, 1952 L. K. MORECROFT 2,587,196

COLLAPSIBLE REST FOR THE EXTREMITIES AND BODIES 0F HUMANS 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed Aug. 10, 1949 I IN V EN TOR. Z0162 [if/Moreen)! B Y Patented Feb. 26, 1952 ATENT OFFICE COLLAPSIBLE REST FOR THE EXTREMITIES AND BODIES F HUMANS Lola K. Morecroft, Santa; Clara, Calif.

Application August 10, 1949, Serial No. 109,490

This-invention relates to slings, rests or the like and more particularly to a portable rest for the-body, head'or limbs ofa person;

The principal purpose of the present inventionis'to provide a device which can be used as a pillow when in opened condition and when folded can becarried in apurse, handbag, and the -likeor stored in a linen cabinet in a'home, hospital and/or vehicle of transportation such as a bus, train or airliner;

Another'object of this invention is to provide arelatively rigid frame collapsible into a compact= -unit andstretchable into a substantially stable cushion which will render comfort to its user. 7

Another object'isto provide a. restin which a detachable strap may be stretched 'over'a foldableiframeto cooperate with the latterfor providing asubstantiallystable cushion withinwhich to rest a member of 'theshuman body.

Another object is'to- .providea-portablerest for a human foot and means cooperatingwith such rest for shielding the foot resting therein. for minimizing the weight of'bedlinensand covers relative-to the foot.

These and other objects and advantages will become apparent; from areadingof the following specification in the light of the drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a. perspective viewof a chair having a rest embodying thepresent: invention associated therewith.

Fig; Z is a perspective view of a rest embodying the present invention.

Fig.13" is an elevation of the device shown in Fig.2- with partsthereof broken away for purposes of illustration.

Fig. 4 is a section ofFig. 3 taken along line 47-4 thereof;

FigJS is "a layout of a portion of the device shown-in Figs. 2, 3 and 4' and showing the underside-of such portion.

lustrated inFig. 8' and having broken awaysectionsforpurposes of illustration.

The rest, embodying the present invention; is generally vdesignated by reference numeral it in 9; Claims. (Cl.- .5-3.27

2 the drawing. The device Ill comprises 'aframe lit, a sling or stretch band i2, and a connecting strap l3 between them so that. all'of these elements cooperate with each other to providea substantially stable cushion or the like.

The frame ll (Figs. 6 and '7) is divided into three principal sections, namely, a base and a pair of arms It and I8, each of which is hingedly connected as at 29 to the and edges of the base I5.

The base 55, and arms i6 and iii are similarly constructed and preferably consist of a relatively rigid filler or panel 2|, 22 and 23, respectively, Figs. 3 and 4. The panels may be covered in any suitable manner and for purposes of illustration I have shown them as fillers confined within a bag 24 made of cloth or some such sheet material 25, which isv folded over upon itself to provide a top layer 25 and a bottom layer 21;.

The loose edges of the top and bottom layers 26. and 21 are sewn as at, 28, Figs. 3 and 4 and are also. sewn along the free ends 29 of the arms l6 and E8 to confine the respective fillers within the bag 24;. The top and bottom layers 26 and 21 are then sewn together between the filler panels 2|, 22 and 2:3 to form the hinges Zilhereinbefore referred to.

The strap l 3 maybe any suitable material such as leather, webbing or'may be similar to the fabric 25 from which the bag 24 is made. The strap. l3; and base ii are each provided with fastening means. Si], in the present disclosure, the top half 3! of a snap fastener being secured to the strap 3 and the other half 32 of the fas toning means 3%]- being secured to the bottom layer 2'! of the bag 24. Threev such lower half fastening means 32 are secured to the bottom layer in spaced relation across the same and one companion top half 3! therefore is secured to each end of thestrap iii. In this manner the strap l3 may be secured to the base [5 to circumscribe the top thereof either loosely or in relatively close relation to the same.

The sling or stretch band it, Fig. 5, consists of an elongated strip of material which is susceptible to laundering and/or sterilization. For this reason I prefer to make the band I2 out of a sturdy woven fabric such as heavy cloth folded upon itself-and stitched as at 35 along'its edges to render it suitably flexible.

The ends of the band l2 are tapered down to an attaching portion 35 reinforcedbycrosswise stitching and provided witnan eye '31- or some such other portion adapted for association with a fastener. In the present embodiment, tapeties 38 are threaded through the eyes 31 so that the ends of the tape may be tied together as shown at 39 in Fig. 1 or to some suitable anchor or the like (not shown) provided on the furniture to which the device In is to be attached. Obviously, snap fasteners may be substituted for the eyes, tape and anchors mentioned above for the purpose of securing the rest it) to a chair, bed or the like.

The band I2 is disposed with its mid portion 4|] beneath the strap l3 and is provided with loops 4! and 4| at its edges in the region of its mid portion to receive the strap 13 and toassure symmetrical extensions 42 and 43 of the band [2 from the strap I3. The extensions 42 and 43 are each provided with the top halves 44 of fastening means, the opposite halves 45 of which are secured to the free ends 29 of the arms 16 and [8. The top fastener halves 44 are so disposed on the respective extensions of the band [2 that when attached to the bottom fastener halves 45, the extensions form the hypotenuse 46 of a triangle in which the arm [6 or 18 constitutes the altitude for maintaining the latter at right angles to the base IS.

The free ends 41 of the extensions 42 and 43 are flexible enough to adapt themselves to various forms of furniture and to be secured thereto in the manners as hereinbefore explained. The principle upon which the present invention is predicated is to enable stretching of the band l2 into a taut condition so that the valley V is formed by the two portions 46 of the extensions 42 and 43 thereof, providing a substantially yieldable, yet stable rest for ones head or limbs and even the torso of ones body, see Figs. 1 and 8. The entire band 12 thus is stretched into the formation of an inverted W over the base and its arms.

When used as a head rest, Fig. 1, the device enables the user to set with his head resting comfortably within the V of the stretch band I2. This is exceptionally advantageous to people traveling in public conveyances such as buses, trainsor airliners; particularly in keeping the users head vertically above his body and in preventing drooping of his head to either side if the person is asleep or in a relaxed condition during movement of the vehicle around a curve or the like. The V of the rest In assures against the tendency of the user to slump to either side and prevents his leaning excessively toward a person in the adjacent seat.

When used as a rest for ones body or parts thereof, Fig. 8, the rest I!) gives great comfort, particularly when it is important that the user lie perfectly still to assure knitting of broken bones or healing of major sprains of the muscular parts of his anatomy.

When the rest is used for the purposes exemplified in Fig. 8, that is, when it is to stand in a flat or horizontal surface, the base I5 is lengthened to extend a substantial distance beyond either arm i6 and I8. In this form of rest the panel or filler 2! is made longer and the arms I6 and I8 are hinged as at 20 to the top layer 26 of the bag 24 therefor. The bags for each of the arms l6 and I8 in this instance are sewn as at 20' to the top layer 26 so as to permi w n ing of the arms between perpendicular and substantial' parallelism with respect to the base l5.

The band I2 in this form of rest has its ends cut transversely and provided with a plurality of top halves 55'01 fastening means 5|, the lower halves 52 of which are secured to the extended 4 ends of the base I5. In this manner, the band I2 is rendered taut over the frame II and the entire unit may be moved about in using condition.

The form of device Hi just explained is especially comforting when used as a rest for ones foot, see illustration extreme left in Fig. 8. Further comfort is afforded the user of a foot rest when an auxiliary band 55 is stretched from the apexes 56 formed by the band l2, see Fig. 9. In this form of the device In suitable intermediate fastening tongues may be secured to the band [2 in place of the fastening halves 44, top halves 51 being secured to the ends of the band 55.

With the additional band 55 stretched over the V of the rest l0, bed sheets and covers will be held above the V and will not weigh down upon the part of the body resting within the V. This is especially advantageous should the user be afiiicted with a gouty foot which is extremely sensitive to excessive pressure and undue or abusive engagement with bed linens.

While I have described my invention specifically in the foregoing specification, it will be apparent that the same issusceptible to variations, modifications and alterations without departure from the spirit of my invention. I therefore desire to avail myself of all variations, modificationsand alterations coming within the scope of the appended claims. I

What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A rest comprising a base having a pair of arms hingedly secured thereto in spaced relation,

a stretch band having its mid portion secured to said base midway between said arms, fastening means on said stretch band for securing the same to the extremities of said arms, and. securing means at the free ends of said stretch band for facilitating tautening of said stretch band relative to said base and arms in the form of an inverted W.

2. A rest of the type described comprising a base, a pair of arms hingedly secured to said base in spaced relation to each other, a stretch band, means on said base securing said stretch band thereto, means on said stretch band and the ends of said arms for securing the same together at points along said stretch band effective during tautness of said stretch band for maintaining said arms substantially perpendicular to said base, and means on the extreme ends of said stretch band for facilitating tightening of the band over the arms.

3. A rest of the type described comprising a base, a pair of arms hingedly connected to said base, a stretch band having loops along its edges midway its ends, a connecting strap overlying said band and having its ends extending through said loops and connected to said base midway its ends, means on said stretch band and the ends of said arms for securing the same together for maintaining said arms substantially perpendicular to said base during tautness of said stretch band, and means on the extreme ends of said stretch band for facilitating tightening of the entire stretch band over the arms.

4. A rest of the type described comprising a base adapted to lie upon a surface, a pair of arms hingedly secured to said base, a band having a width substantially the same as said base and having its mid portion connected thereto midway between said hinged arms, and means at the free ends of said band for anchoring said free ends relative to the surface upon which said base; lies and as far away from each other as possible for stretching said band tightly over said base and said arms whereby when said arms are initially disposed perpendicular to said base said band will be stretched-thereover in the form of an inverted W.

5. A rest of the type described comprising a base adapted to lie against a surface, a pair of arms hingedly connected to said base in spaced relation to each other, a strap having its ends secured to said base so as to overlie the same midway between the arms hingedly connected thereto, a band of substantially the same width as said base and arms threaded beneath said strap, said band overlying said arms and having free ends extending beyond said arms, and

'means'for securing the free ends of said band relative to said surface for stretchin said band over the free edges of said arms for maintainingthe arms substantially perpcndicular to said base to thereby dispose the central portion of said band between said arms in V formation.

6. A rest of the type described comprising a base, a pair .of arms on said base adapted to be disposed either in parallelism or in spaced perpendiculan relation with respect thereto, a stretch band having its mid portion secured to said base and the portions of said band extending from said base provided with halves of fastening means at predetermined points along the length of said stretch band, companion halves of the fastening means being secured to the end of each arm for connection to the fastening means on said band to thereby limit movement of said arms away from each other and to limit the intermediate portions of said band between said arms for stretching into a substantial V formation, and means for drawing the ends of said band downwardly and away from the ends of said arms and for securing said band in relatively tightened condition relative to said base and arms.

7. The combination with a stretch band, of a frame comprising a base having a pair of arms secured thereto so as to extend therefrom in spaced relation, a connecting strap securing the mid portion of said stretch band to said base between said arms, and means on the ends of said arms for fastening the same to said band for supporting the central portion thereof in V formation during stretching of said band over the ends of said arms.

8. A rest of the type described comprising a base, a pair of arms hingedly connected to said base in spaced relation, a stretch band secured to said base between said arms, means for securing said stretch band to the extremities of said arms to prevent outward swinging thereof beyond substantial perpendicular relation to said base, and means at the ends of said stretch band for effecting downward and outward pulling of the same relative to the extremities of said arms whereby said arms, base and stretch band cooperate with each other to form a flexible vshaped crevice in the mid region of said stretch band for receiving a part of a persons body.

9. A rest of the type described comprising a base, a pair of arms hingedly connected to said base in spaced relation, a stretch band secured to said base between said arms, means for securing said stretch band to the extremities of said arms to prevent outward swinging thereof beyond substantial perpendicular relation to said base, means at the ends of said stretch band for efifecting downward and outward pulling of the same relative to the extremities of said arms whereby said arms, base and stretch band co operate with each other to form a flexible V- shaped crevice in the mid region of said stretch band for receiving a part of a persons body, and an auxiliary band secured to the apexes formed by the stretch band above said arms for shielding or guarding against weighty objects entering into the V-shaped crevice formed between said arms.

LOLA K. MORECROFT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 885,243 Haas Apr. 21, 1908 1,136,174 Seniuk Apr. 20, 1915 1,596,364 Matthyssen Aug. 17, 1926 1,975,586 Law Oct. 2, 1934 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 9,683 Great Britain 1910 186,481 Great Britain Oct. 5, 1922 

